ROAD ACCIDENTS, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM

For the past weeks, the rate at which road accidents are rampant in Ghana is very alarming and many are those who have lost their lives. Others have also suffered various degrees of injuries. I was however shocked when I heard in the news bulletin of an Accra based radio station that, in the past three weeks, 103 lives have been lost due to road accidents.

Well, some religious leaders have attributed it to spiritual forces, other citizens have also attributed it politicians. I asked those who attributed it to politicians why they said that and to my amazement, since politicians want to win power, they will do any thing to get power, even if it is that they will have to visit ‘juju’. Anyway, they are entitled to their own views just as anyone else. I think the errors committed by drivers have also contributed to the high rate of accidents lately. However, our security personnel, especially the police, our policy makers, engineers and other road users are also to be blamed for these accidents on our road. As a result of the car accident that I had in 2004 when I was traveling from Cape Coast to Accra, I realized as a people, we have a lot to do to reduce and most importantly, prevent these fatal accidents. The Accra – Kumasi road, the Tema motorway and the Kasoa – Yamoransa are the ones that have claimed most lives due to road accidents. Drivers who ply this road, especially the commercial drivers, most often do not adhere to simple road laws. The few road signs found on the road are not observed by these drivers. Unnecessary overtaking especially on the curve and overspeeding are done by drivers who ply our roads. What is shocking is that, there are policemen found on these major roads. They collect bribes from these drivers openly without dealing with the culprits in the right way. Offenders are made to go away, only to cause accidents and kill innocent lives. Even though there are few bad nuts here and there, others are not helping matters. On the 22^nd of March, I traveled from Cape Coast to Accra. I thought it was safe to use Metro Mass Transit bus than these small buses that ply the road and to my surprise when we got Moree junction, the bus was stopped by a police man. Can u believe that, the driver did not have his seat belt on. The policeman spoke to the driver in a way that made him feel bad and he immediately put on his seat belt. It’s been reported many a times that, drivers who use the Cape Coast road do not put on seat belts and those who put them on only do so when they approach a police barrier. They then remove the seat belt after crossing the police checkpoint and at this point, I think passengers will have to report drivers who behave this way to the appropriate quarters for action to be taken against the drivers.

Over aged cars that are imported into the country also play a key role in these accidents. I was watching ‘Hot Issues’, a current affairs program on TV 3 and I was surprised to hear that, Willowbrook cars (aka space bus) were brought into the country in 1973. These buses continue to ply the Odorkor – Kaneshie – Circle road in the full glare of our officials. I wonder how they manage to get the approval of DVLA officials and other officers in charge of cars and roads in Ghana. Their brakes aren’t in the best of shape and the smoke that comes out of bus is nothing to write home about, let alone the health complications that the smoke have on us.

Furthermore, 207 cars that were originally made for cargo now have seats in them that carry precious human beings on our highways and these 207 cars are part of the cars that causes serious accidents on our roads.

People who have not gone through the full rigours of driving are given driving license. There are reported cases of people who get driving license the same day that they apply for it. Others also get theirs a day or two after. Road signs on our roads are inadequate and some do not have road signs at all. I traveled in 8 districts in the Western Region in February for a project that the office undertook and I must say that, the road network in Ghana is not encouraging at all. It is very dangerous to travel on these roads in Ghana. Street lights aren’t enough, coupled with other factors make the usage of the roads very dangerous.

I believe that, when more policemen are recruited to serve as traffic wardens, it’ll go a long way to help reduce accidents. They should be made to stand at relatively short distances to check on drivers to make sure that they do not overspeed. Before a bus takes off from let say Neoplan station at Circle to Kumasi, passengers should know the distance and the time the car is supposed to get to its destination. Passengers should tell drivers to stop overspeeding when they do so. Most passengers sit down unconcerned whilst drivers overspeed. What passengers fail to understand is that, most of time, the drivers escape unhurt in accidents.

We are now in the days where road accidents are rampant, thus all must help to ensure that our road s are safe for traveling. The MTTU, DVLA, Police, NCCE and other agencies must double their effort to reduce and prevent road accidents. People are really dying and we are all not excluded. It could be anyone else. Road accident doesn’t know the rich or the poor, ordinary person or VIP. Suzzy Williams, Kwame Owusu Ansah, Terry Bonchaka, Mr. Ferdinand Anyim (former special assistant to Jake Obetsebi Lamptey) and other public figures all died through road accidents. We need everyone around to help move the nation forward.

Till I come your way another time, I continue to remain yours truly

FELIX DONKOR (FEDOK)